Thursday, June 1, 2023

Pride Guidance Bulletin

"My GPS told me to turn right." ~ the schmuck who hit my wife's car yesterday.

Thank you for all your good wishes for her. She was a little shaken and a tiny bit sore, but otherwise fine. The car can be repaired. Driver's side door scraped, rear door and quarter panel crunched in and deeply scratched.

Courtesy AP

I very rarely venture into the political arena, and I'm not sure this post really qualifies as that. But I do want to urge everyone to be aware. The culture war is heating up.

Courtesy of NPR

Today marks the beginning of Pride month and, by all accounts, it's going to be a rough one. The clock is being turned back on the small progress that was made during the 2000-aughts. All over the country, events are being canceled because of threats. National chain retailers are bending under the pressure to forego selling merchandise. Basic Human Rights are being taken away in ever-increasing numbers. Hate crimes are on the rise. Gun laws are being loosened in some states and completely eliminated in others. This has emboldened extreme right wing organizations whose members have recently been showing up at LGBTQ events, wearing Kevlar vests and other protective gear and armed with AR-style weapons, to protest.

Courtesy of GLAAD

Courtesy UPI

Do not become a victim.
If your city is moving forward with plans for Pride Month and you plan to attend, make sure you and yours remain safe.


In addition to the NAACP, ACLU, and LGBTQ support groups issuing Travel Advisories, Georgetown University Law Center has issued an "
Emergency Guidance Bulletin" on protecting yourself from armed extremist activity at Pride events. It explains what signals to watch out for.

Read it. And share the link.


No one should have to live in fear of being seriously injured or killed but, sadly, it's now the state of this country.








Stay safe and enjoy the Pride events.

10 comments:

aussieguy said...

It's truly a sad day and indicator of the times we're in that we have to constantly look over our shoulder and not simply enjoy life. The far right has become too emboldened - simply one of the worst things to come out of the Trump era. The thoughts were there before; he merely gave them "permission" and the avenue to suppress ANYTHING they don't like or agree with.

Sixpence Notthewiser said...

Phew!
Glad she's doing well. And there's idiots driving everywhere. The GPS? Really?
And I'm downloading that PDF because I'm going to Milwaukee Pride this weekend (which is kinda safe because it's in an enclosed park) and to Chicago's Pride (which is trickier but also HUGE.

Happy Pride!

XOXO

Your French Patrick said...

You are right no one should have to live in fear of being seriously injured or killed whatever the country where he is but it is, more or less, not the case in all the USA and to much other countries.
I had understood that your wife had been responsible for the collision, and
I offer her my deepest apologies.
The schmuck's excuse is dumb, a car ain't supposed to run on radar with closed eyes on his surroundings.

Hooter from Owls Rest said...

Happy Gay Pride Month from Hooter and Maximus. We are planning on attending Pittsburgh Pride this Saturday and Columbus Pride on the 17th. We will be wearing our pride clothes. If gay people threatened Target, would they remove bibles to protect their employes? I think not, it is just a copout.

Mistress Maddie said...

Happy pride month to all has some good tips in that link that you gave. As far as retailers carrying LGBT merchandise I have never been for it, only because they're mostly in it for making money and have never donated big portions of it. If they donated all of the money made from that product line then I would say it's a good thing but they don't.

rphillips4165 said...

I hate that people are being harmed and worse. But before any major change in the world there is always the final backlash. I'm hoping that is what this is. Just look at the 60's. I know they didn't make all the racial problems go away. But it did help them. Just look at all the people losing their jobs for being racist, and homophobic. And all the men being prosecuted for harming women. I know it seems that we are losing. But hope that this is the last blip before the real change happens.Please be safe out there.

Anonymous said...

Humans need to accept free speech, moderate their emotional impulses with reason and let insults flow off like water off a ducks back. It would help if government was obliged to listen and act on summary issues brought up in public forums, so that people did not have to threaten to get heard and get things changed but could publicly represent their issues.

We all might need to get used to greater individual segregation to prevent violence and physical injury in an increasingly dangerous world.

It all comes down to taking "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" to heart, instead of "I'm invincible and can do whatever I like without consequence".

SickoRicko said...

I will definitely pass that PDF along!

Xersex said...

I fear that politically the world is shifting to the right. At least, that's how it is in Europe.

Demian said...

Oh! Sorry about your wife accident! And also I'm glad she is alright with only minor injuries!!!!
Happy pride month and kisses for everyone with love and respect.